Data interpretation

Figure 36.1




How would you interpret this result?




A. Dilutional anaemia



B. Folate deficiency anaemia



C. Iron deficiency anaemia



D. Normal full blood count



E. Vitamin B12 deficiency


Comment: The patient is not anaemic despite the clinical history. All parameters with the full blood count are normal.


When looking at a full blood count result, make sure to examine all the parameters given.


Other questions may surround electrolyte disturbance.




SBA


A 70-year-old woman who is taking bendroflumethazide for hypertension presents to the GP with muscle weakness, muscle cramps and constipation.


The GP arranges to check serum urea and electrolytes.




Which electrolyte disturbance is most likely to be present?




A. Hypercalcaemia



B. Hyperkalaemia



C. Hypernatraemia



D. Hypocalcaemia



E. Hypokalaemia


Comment: The symptoms are all features of hypokalaemia. The patient is taking a thiazide diuretic, a side effect of which is hypokalaemia.


It is important to have an understanding of all varieties of electrolyte disturbance, their causes and clinical manifestations (Table 36.1).



Table 36.1 The five most important electrolytes






































Electrolyte Function Distribution Disturbance and causes
Sodium (Na) Key role in fluid balance
Contributes half the osmolarity of the extracellular fluid
Predominantly in extracellular fluid
Regulated by antidiuretic hormone, aldosterone and atrial natriuretic peptide
Hyponatraemia: caused by insufficient intake (e.g. inadequate sodium in intravenous fluids),excessive water, diuretic therapy or hypoadrenalism
Hypernatraemia: caused by excessive salt intake, excessive water depletion or hyperaldosteronism
Potassium (K) Maintenance of intracellular fluid volume
Regulation of pH
Establishes resting membrane potential of cells
Predominantly in intracellular fluid
Serum level regulated by aldosterone
Hypokalaemia: caused by dietary insufficiency, inadequate intravenous therapy, insulin therapy, beta agonists, vomiting, diarrhoea
Hyperkalaemia: caused by excessive intravenous administration, blood transfusion, Addison’s disease, potassium-sparing diuretics
Calcium (Ca) Role in excitable cells, neurotransmitter release and blood clotting Predominantly in bone
Mainly extracellular
Regulated by parathyroid hormone
Hypocalcaemia: caused by hypoparathyroidism, inadequate vitamin D intake and renal disease
Hypercalcaemia: caused by malignancy or hyperparathyroidism
Chloride (CL) Balances anions in all fluid compartments Diffuses easily between extracellular fluid and intracellular fluid
Levels linked to sodium concentration
Hypochloraemia: found in pyloric stenosis and respiratory alkalosis
Hyperchloraemia: caused by excessive intravenous saline administration or severe dehydration
Bicarbonate (HCO3) Major buffer in plasma
Helps maintain balance of anions and cations in all fluid compartments
Predominantly on extracellular fluid although small amounts also found in intracellular fluid
Serum level controlled by kidneys
Deficit leads to metabolic acidosis; caused by use of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, diarrhoea, fistulae
Excess leads to metabolic alkalosis; caused by excessive bicarbonate administration, chronic vomiting, diuretic use


Fluid Balance


Fluid balance is the state where the required amount of bodily water is present and correctly distributed amongst bodily compartments.


Total body water is 70% of lean body weight. Of this:


One third is extracellular




  • 25% as plasma



  • 75% as interstitial fluid


and two thirds is intracellular.


Normal fluid intake is 2.5–3.0 litres per day.


Fluid loss has three main components:



Urine

1500 ml


Insensible loss (sweat, lungs)

850 ml


Faeces

100 ml



Urine Output


There are often questions about urine output after surgery, or after delivery.


For definitions of urine output, see Table 36.2.



Table 36.2 Definitions of urine output



























Urine output Numerical definition Comments
Anuria <100 ml urine produced in 24 hours
Oliguria <400 ml urine produced per day, but more than 100 ml/day Many causes including drugs, dehydration, endocrine disturbance, abnormal renal function
Normal urine output 0.5–1.0 ml/kg/h
(In infants 2 ml/kg/h)
Dependent upon age and renal function
Polyuria >3 litres urine production per day Many potential causes including diuretics, increased fluid intake, diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, Addison’s disease


Microbiology


Regarding swabs, different organisms inhabit different sites, or different types of epithelium. It is therefore important to have the correct swab to identify the correct organism (Table 36.3).



Table 36.3 Identifying different organisms using swabs































Organism Epithelium Swab
Trichomonas vaginalis Vaginal mucosa High vaginal swab
Candida albicans Vaginal mucosa High vaginal swab
Neisseria gonorrhoeae Columnar epithelium Endocervical swab, urethral and rectal swabs
Chlamydia trachomatis Columnar epithelium Endocervical and urethral swabs
Bacterial vaginosis (Coliforms) Vaginal mucosa High vaginal swab

Similarly, there may be results from the culture and sensitivity of a mid-stream specimen of urine where you are asked to make an interpretation.




Module 3: IT, clinical governance and research


There have been questions surrounding accuracy of tests in every paper since SBA questions were introduced in 2012. These questions are simple for examiners to write, and any mathematics will always be straightforward. If your calculation becomes very complex, then it is almost certainly wrong!


Make sure you have a firm understanding of the 2 × 2 table of diagnostic test and condition:


Sensitivity: the percentage of cases with the condition that are correctly identified by the test (TP/TP + FN) × 100.

























Condition
Present Absent
Diagnostic test Positive True positives (TP) False positives (FP)
Negative False negatives (FN) True negatives (TN)

Specificity: the percentage of cases without the condition that have a negative test (TN/TN + FP) × 100.


Positive predictive value: the chance of having the condition with a positive test (TP/TP + FP).


Negative predictive value: the chance of not having the condition with a negative test (TN/TN+ FN).



SBA


A specialty trainee undertakes a study of heavy menstrual bleeding. She surveys 200 women attending a gynaecology clinic and notes a history of passing clots vaginally during menstruation. She then takes a full blood count to look for the presence of anaemia. From the study, 110 women give a history of passing clots, and of these, 40 are shown to be anaemic. Sixty women are found to be anaemic in total.




What is the specificity of a history of passing clots for detecting the presence of anaemia?




1. 20%



2. 40%



3. 50%



4. 60%



5. 70%


Comment: The first thing to do here is to construct a 2 × 2 table:


There are 110 women with a history of clots, and 40 are anaemic:

























Anaemia
Present Absent
History of passing clots Positive
Negative

There are 60 women that are anaemic in total, and the total number of women studied was 200:

























Anaemia
Present Absent
History of passing clots Positive 40 70
Negative

Specificity = TN/(TN + FP) = 70/(70 + 70) × 100 = 50%, so the answer is C.



































Anaemia
Present Absent Total
History of passing clots Positive 40 70 110
Negative 20 70 90
Total 60 140 200

The questions may look complex, but actually the mathematics tends to be very straightforward if the 2 × 2 table is used correctly.



Module 5: core surgical skills


Questions in this area will tend to surround measurement of variables in relation to preoperative assessment, most commonly electrocardiogram and spirometry.


A 12-lead electrocardiogram may be supplied, with supplementary clinical information. For example:



SBA


A 65-year-old woman with a history of hypertension (treated with lisinopril) and hyperthyroidism (treated with carbimazole) presents to her GP with episodes of palpitations and fainting.


An ECG is arranged with the following result (Figure 36.2).


Figure 36.2

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Jan 29, 2017 | Posted by in GYNECOLOGY | Comments Off on Data interpretation

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